Essay, Research Paper: Athletic Training

1. The occupation is an athletic trainer. The job description is to work with
athletes in an effort to prevent injuries. They work in amateur and professional sports. Once injuries occur, the athletic trainer is required to evaluate the problem and get the athlete the proper medical treatment. He or she also makes sure that athletes are physically ready and able to play after an injury. Athletic trainers set up physical conditioning programs for athletes, work with equipment managers to make sure that playing and training areas are in working order, and also work with physicians in developing and implementing a rehabilitation program for injured players. Athletic trainers work in offices, treatment centers or training rooms, clinics, gyms, and on playing fields. They work with athletes, coaches, and physicians.
2. The education or training needed are a Bachelor's Degree, eight-hundred
hours of clinical experience for (certification), workshops, seminars, and courses of athletic training, coaching, and health education. Continuing education may also be required for some positions.
3. The high school courses that would best prepare a person are applied
biology and chemistry, applied math, applied physics, biology, chemistry, English, first aid training, foods and nutrition, health science technology, nurse assisting, physical education, physics, physiology, and psychology.
4. SRE is the holland code.
5. Types of personality and aptitudes are enjoying athletes, working with
people, working independently with little supervision, performing simple medical procedures, evaluation and caring for injuries, performing CPR, keeping records regarding injuries and treatment, knowing the preventive and rehabilitative uses of sports equipment and exercise, performing well in crisis situations, communicating effectively, and understanding the psychology of athletes and coaches.
6. The national wages are $41,000 and beyond. Those working in schools or
colleges earned salaries ranging from $20,259 to $75,408 per year, for an average salary of $47,834 in 2000. The range depends on the type and size of the school, the importance the administration puts on sports, and location. Athletic trainers working for professional teams earned from $25,887 to $104,673 plus. These salaries also depend on the type of team, its prestige, responsibilities, and experience of the trainer.
7. Full-time athletic trainers usually work more than 40 hours a week and
days which are longer than eight hours. They also work evenings, holidays, weekends, and frequently travel to away games.
8. The employment outlook is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2008. The specific employment outlook of athletic trainers depend on high schools and sometimes their athletic trainer hiring practices. Only a small percent of high schools with sports programs employ athletic trainers. Awareness of the need to prevent and treat injuries and their value can possibly increase the demand for athletic trainers. Furthermore, the growth of the number of insurance companies which cover sports medical treatments can also heighten employment opportunities.
9. The benefits are getting a high paid salary, receiving paid vacations,
holidays, and sick days; life and health insurance; and retirement benefits, usually all paid for by the employer. The advancement opportunities are advancing from a high school level to a college level, then maybe to a professional level of sports, which becomes more difficult to reach.
10. Physical demands are to have use of fingers in order to tape and wrap
injuries, to have hand-eye coordination, to speak and hear well, to instruct athletes on proper us of equipment, be able to stoop, kneel, and crouch to examine and treat injuries, and to see well in order to evaluate athletic injuries.
11. The advantages for me in this job are that I enjoy athletics, working with
people, and helping athletes perform up to their best after they go through training. If I can't play professional sports then I'd like to be as close to athletes as I could. I also can work well with others and I like the study of human anatomy and bone structure.


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